Hand-held aspiration syringe and methods

ABSTRACT

A hand-held aspiration apparatus includes a handle configured for suspending and using the syringe with a single hand. The handle includes pivotally connected first and second members. The members of the handle may be pivotally connected at intermediate positions along the lengths thereof. The first member is associated with, and may be pivotally connected to, a syringe barrel, while the second member is associated with, and may be pivotally connected to, a syringe plunger. The members are configured and associated with one another in such a way that movement of portions thereof toward each other moves the plunger proximally through the barrel, which may create a vacuum in the barrel that may facilitate aspiration, and that movement of portions of the members away from one another moves the plunger distally through the barrel. The aspiration apparatus may be configured for a single-use (i.e., it may be disposable). Applications of use and methods of using a hand-held syringe are also disclosed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 11/431,420,filed May 9, 2006, which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,534,234 on May 19,2009.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to apparatus for facilitatingthe movement of a plunger of a syringe through a barrel of the syringeand, more particularly, to hand-held, hand operated apparatus thatfacilitate the movement of a plunger through a syringe barrel. Morespecifically, the present invention relates to hand-held apparatus withscissor grip type leveraged triggering systems that force a plunger of asyringe through the length of the barrel of the syringe.

2. Background of Related Art

The use of syringes for aspirating biological samples from the bodies ofsubjects is well known. Typically, the barrel of a syringe is placed incommunication with a desired location of a subject's body, then a vacuumis created within the barrel of a syringe by pulling a plunger of thesyringe toward a proximal end of the syringe (i.e., toward the syringeuser, away from the body of the subject). When a vacuum is formed withinthe barrel of a syringe, fluid from the desired location is drawn intothe syringe.

This process can be very difficult with existing devices, as syringesthat are configured to reduce a user's exertion are also typicallyconfigured for fluid delivery rather than for aspiration. For example,in many conventionally configured syringes, aspiration is effected byholding the barrel of the syringe with one hand while pulling theplunger with another hand. Similar actions must be taken when many othertypes of manually operated devices are used to facilitate aspirationwith a syringe.

There are needs for syringes that are configured to be held, orsuspended, and operated by the same hand of a user and that may becomfortably operated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention includes aspiration apparatus.

By way of nonlimiting example, an aspiration apparatus according to thepresent invention may comprise a syringe. Such a syringe may include ahandle that is configured to effectively reduce the amount of force thatmust be applied by a user to aspirate a sample from the body of asubject. Optionally, the handle may be configured so that aspiration iseffected when members thereof are moved together.

An example of an aspiration apparatus of the present invention includesa hand-held, hand-operated syringe with a handle that is leveraged insuch a manner as to apply more pressure to the plunger or barrel of thesyringe than a user applies to the handle. The handle may includepivotally connected members, one of which is secured in relation to abarrel of a syringe, the other of which is secured in relation to aplunger of the syringe. The members of the handle are configured andoriented relative to one another in such a way as to facilitate holding(e.g., suspension), manipulation, and use of the aspiration apparatuswith one hand. A first handle may be rigidly, flexibly, or pivotallyassociated with the syringe barrel, while the second handle may berigidly, flexibly, or pivotally associated with the syringe plunger.

In an example of an embodiment of a handle that includes connectionpoints, the handle may resemble scissors and includes two members, afirst of which is configured to be held by the fingers of an individualand the second of which is configured to be held by the individual'sthumb or positioned against the palm of the individual. The members arepivotally connected at intermediate, or somewhat central, locationsalong the lengths thereof. One or both of the first and second handlemembers may enable the user to grip both members with one hand whilehaving a configuration (e.g., a shape, bend, etc.) that provides a userwith a mechanical advantage while maximizing the amount of leverageprovided as the handle members are forced toward one another. When thefirst and second members of the handle are moved toward or away from oneanother, the pivot point may remain in a substantially fixed positionalong the lengths of both the first and second members. Alternatively,the first pivot point may move in an elongate path relative to one orboth of the first and second members of the handle as the positions ofthe first and second members are changed relative to one another. By wayof example only, the first pivot point may move either eccentrically orin a linear fashion relative to one of the handle members as thepositions of the members change while remaining substantially stationaryrelative to the other handle member.

In both reusable and single-use variations of an aspiration apparatus ofthe present invention, the aforementioned elements may be part of asingle, integral syringe, or the handles may be configured forassociation with a separate, disposable syringe.

As an example of the use of an aspiration apparatus incorporatingteachings of the present invention, a withdrawal element (e.g., aneedle, catheter, etc.) that is in communication with a desired locationof the body of a subject may be placed in communication with thereceptacle of a barrel of the syringe. A sample may then be drawnthrough the withdrawal element and into the barrel by moving the firstand second members of the handle toward one another. The barrel may thenbe removed from communication with the withdrawal element, and thesample expelled from the barrel by moving the members of the handle awayfrom each other.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent to those of ordinary skill in the art through consideration ofthe ensuing description, the accompanying drawings, and the appendedclaims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings, which illustrate exemplary embodiments of aspirationapparatus incorporating teachings of the present invention and featuresthereof:

FIG. 1 is a side view of an aspiration apparatus, in this instance asyringe, incorporating teachings of the present invention, including asyringe barrel, a plunger that is longitudinally movable within areceptacle of the syringe barrel, and a scissor-grip handle thatincludes two members with three connection points, a first between afirst member of the handle and the syringe barrel, a second between thesecond member of the handle and the plunger, and a third between the twohandle members;

FIGS. 1A-1C are cross-sections taken along lines 1A-1A, 1B-1B, and1C-1C, respectively, of FIG. 1;

FIG. 1D illustrates a variation on the manner in which a member of ahandle of the syringe of FIG. 1 may be connected to the barrel of thatsyringe;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional representation of the syringe barrel of thesyringe of FIG. 1, illustrating the syringe barrel in an assembledrelationship with a catheter;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional representation of a variation of the syringebarrel illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, which includes an aspiration portthat may communicate with a source or reservoir for introducing fluidinto the syringe barrel upon appropriate movement of the plunger toincrease the available volume within the syringe barrel;

FIG. 4 is a side view that depicts a variation of the handle of FIG. 1,with one of the first and second members including an arcuate slotthrough which a movable connection member on the other of the twomembers moves when the handle members are moved relative to one another;

FIG. 5 is a side view that depicts another variation of the handle ofFIG. 1, wherein one of the first and second handle members includes apartial gear member and the other of the first and second handle membersincludes an elongated slot with teeth along an edge thereof forreceiving teeth of the partial gear member upon movement of the twohandle members relative to one another;

FIG. 6A depicts a syringe with a fixed connection between a barrel andits corresponding handle;

FIG. 6B illustrates a syringe with a fixed connection between a plungerand its corresponding handle;

FIG. 7 is a side view of another embodiment of syringe incorporatingteachings of the present invention, wherein a disposable syringe barreland plunger may be assembled and used with a reusable handle;

FIGS. 8A and 8B are schematic representations of use of an aspirationapparatus incorporating teachings of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of an aspiration apparatus,here a syringe 10, incorporating teachings of the present invention.Syringe 10 includes a barrel 20, a plunger 30 associated with barrel 20,and a scissor-grip handle 40 which causes plunger 30 to movelongitudinally relative to barrel 20. One or both of barrel 20 andplunger 30 may be removable from handle 40 to facilitate the replacementof these elements and the reuse of handle 40.

Barrel 20 of syringe 10 is an elongate member with a hollow interiorextending through the length thereof. Along the majority of its length,barrel 20 is substantially uniform in both cross-sectional shape andcross-sectional dimensions. The region of barrel 20 having suchsubstantial cross-sectional uniformity is referred to herein as a “body”22. As depicted, body 22 extends from a proximal end 21 p of barrel 20to a tapered section or region 24 thereof. A syringe tip 25 is locatedon the opposite side of tapered section 24, at the distal end 21 d ofbarrel 20.

As shown in FIGS. 1-1C the distances across opposed points of variouscross-sections taken transverse to longitudinal axis A_(B) of barrel 20on the outer surface of barrel 20 or the outer diameter of barrel 20 arecollectively referred to herein as “OD20.” The corresponding distancesacross opposed points of various cross-sections taken transverse tolongitudinal axis AB on the inner surface of barrel 20 or the innerdiameter of barrel 20 are collectively referred to herein as “ID20.”

As is depicted in FIGS. 1 and 1A, both OD20A and ID20A remainsubstantially the same along the substantial length of a body 22 ofbarrel 20. At tapered region 24, OD20 and ID20, which are respectivelydepicted at one location along the length of tapered region 24 as OD20Band ID20B, gradually (either linearly or along a curve) decrease fromthe sizes of OD20A and ID20A of body 22 to the much smaller sizes OD20Cand ID20C of syringe tip 25. At syringe tip 25, the sizes of OD20C andID20C are again substantially constant.

The taper of tapered region 24 may, in a specific embodiment, beoriented at an angle of about 15° to longitudinal axis A_(B) of barrel20. Other taper angles are, however, also within the scope of thepresent invention.

Turning now to FIG. 2, the hollow interior of barrel 20, within body 22and tapered region 24 of barrel 20, forms a receptacle 23. The volume ofreceptacle 23 may correspond to a desired use for syringe 10 (FIG. 1).For example, in applications where only small volumes of materials willbe aspirated or injected with syringe 10, barrel 20 may include areceptacle 23 with a relative small volume (e.g., 5 cubic centimeters(“cc”), 10 cc, etc.). When syringe 10 is to be used to aspirate orinject larger volumes of materials, the volume of receptacle 23 may alsobe larger (e.g., 20 cc, 30 cc, 60 cc, etc.). Alternatively, receptacle23 of barrel 20 may have other standard syringe volumes or a volume thatis tailored to a specific use for syringe 10.

The hollow interior of syringe tip 25 is referred to herein as a “lumen”26. Lumen 26 may have a diameter of as small as about 1 mm (0.40 inch)or smaller. Of course, syringe tips 25 with different sizes of lumens 26are within the scope of the present invention, as the size of a lumen 26depends at least partially upon the gauge of a needle or the lumen sizeof a catheter to be coupled with syringe tip 25.

In addition, in order to facilitate the coupling of a needle or catheterwith syringe tip 25, syringe tip 25 includes a coupling member 27 at ornear the distal end 21 d of barrel 20. Although FIG. 1 depicts couplingmember 27 as including a cylindrically shaped recess that extendspartially into syringe tip 25, coupling members of other configurations,including, without limitation, threaded or nonthreaded coupling featuresthat facilitate the coupling of a needle, catheter, or other member toan outer surface of syringe tip 25, are also within the scope of thepresent invention.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, a variation of barrel 20′ may include anaspiration port 80 proximate syringe tip 25. Aspiration port 80facilitates the introduction of a fluid, such as a saline solution,medicine, anesthetic, indicator solution (e.g., dye, radioactivesolution, radioopaque solution or x-ray contrast media, etc.), otherchemical compound, or the like from an external source into receptacle23 of barrel 20. Aspiration port 80 is depicted as comprising acylindrical protrusion 81, which is configured to have a length oftubing coupled thereto, and a lumen 82 that extends through protrusion81 and communicates with lumen 26 of syringe tip 25. In addition,aspiration port 80 may include a valve 83, such as a stop cock typevalve, which opens and closes lumen 82. Of course, other configurationsof aspiration ports are also within the scope of the present invention.

Referring again to FIG. 1, barrel 20 also includes a handle connectionelement 28. As depicted, handle connection element 28 extends from body22 at proximal end 21 p of barrel 20 and includes an aperture formedtherethrough. The aperture is sized and configured to receive a hingeelement 70 and, thus, to facilitate the connection of a member of handle40 to barrel 20.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 1D, a handle connection element 28″ mayinclude features on opposite sides of barrel 20. Such a connection pointarrangement places the pivotal points that are established by connectionelements 59 and 69″ that are associated with handle 40 members 50 and60, respectively, substantially in-line with axes A_(B) of barrel 20 andA_(p) of plunger 30.

While FIG. 1 depicts barrel 20, receptacle 23, and lumen 26 as havingsubstantially cylindrical shapes with circular cross-sections takentransverse to a longitudinal axis A_(B) of barrel 20, syringe barrelswith any other suitable cross-sectional shapes (e.g., ovals, ellipses,polygons, etc.) are also within the scope of the present invention.

With continued reference to FIG. 1, plunger 30 is an elongate memberwith dimensions that permit plunger 30 to be inserted into receptacle 23of barrel 20 through proximal end 21 p thereof. Plunger 30 includes abody 32 and a head 34 at the distal end 31 d of body 32. The proximalend 31 p of body 32 and, thus, of plunger 30 is configured to have forceapplied thereto to facilitate movement of plunger 30 in both directionsalong a longitudinal axis A_(p) of plunger 30.

Head 34 of plunger 30 may comprise a somewhat deformable, resilientmember. By way of example, head 34 may be formed from silicone or anyother resilient polymer (i.e., rubber) that is suitable for use inmedical applications. The shape of head 34 may be substantiallycomplementary to a shape of the portion of receptacle 23 of barrel 20that is located within tapered region 24 and a portion of body 22adjacent thereto. The size of head 34 may be substantially the same asor somewhat larger than the correspondingly shaped portion of receptacle23 so as to facilitate the substantial displacement of fluid fromreceptacle 23 as plunger 30 is fully inserted therein.

In order to facilitate movement of head 34 of plunger 30 along the filllength of receptacle 23, the length of plunger 30 may be greater thanthe combined lengths of body 22 and tapered region 24 of barrel 20. Ofcourse, in order to apply the amount of force necessary to move plunger30 through the length of receptacle 23, body 32 of plunger 30 is may beformed from a more rigid material than that of head 34. Accordingly,head 34 may include a receptacle (not shown) that is configured toreceive a corresponding head connection protrusion (not shown) at thedistal end of body 32, as known in the art.

Proximal end 31 p of plunger 30 includes a handle connection element 38.Handle connection element 38 includes an aperture formed through body 32of plunger 30 at a location that facilitates the pivotal connection of amember of handle 40 thereto by way of a hinge element 70.

In addition, proximal end 31 p of plunger 30 may include a secondarymovement element 36, such as a loop or another member by which anindividual may cause plunger 30 to move in one or both directions alonglongitudinal axis A_(p) thereof.

Still referring to FIG. 1, handle 40 includes two elongate members, afirst member 60 and a second member 50. First member 60 and secondmember 50 are pivotally connected with one another in a manner that,along with the shapes of first and second members 60 and 50, providesleverage, or a mechanical advantage, so as to decrease the amount offorce that must be exerted by a user's hand to move plunger 30 relativeto barrel 20.

First member 60, which is configured to be held with a user's fingers,includes a gripping end 62 and a barrel attachment end 68. In addition,first member 60 includes pivotal connection element 66 positioned at acentral region 65 thereof, which is located substantially centrallyalong the length thereof, to facilitate connection of first member 50 tosecond member 50 of handle 40. Pivotal connection element 66 includes anaperture that has a circular shape and that receives a hinge element 70,or pivot pin, which, in turn, connects first member 60 and second member50 to one another.

As shown, first member 60 includes an elongated loop 63 along grippingend 62, through which an individual's fingers may be inserted.Alternatively, or in addition to loop 63, gripping end 62 may include afinger grip 64 that is contoured so as to comfortably receive thefingers of a user.

Barrel attachment end 68 includes (e.g., terminates at) a barrelconnection element 69 that facilitates the pivotal connection of secondmember 60 to the corresponding handle connection element 28 of barrel20. As depicted, barrel connection element 69 comprises an aperture thatis configured to receive a hinge element 70. Second member 60 and barrel20 are pivotally connected to one another by properly positioning barrelattachment end 68 and handle connection element 28 against one another,with the apertures thereof in alignment, and inserting a single hingeelement 70 through both barrel connection element 69 and handleconnection element 28. Hinge element 70 may include an enlarged head 71at each end thereof to maintain the assembled, pivotal relationship ofbarrel 20 and second member 60. Of course, other known types of pivotalconnection arrangements between barrel 20 and second member 60 and theircorresponding elements are also within the scope of the presentinvention.

First member 60 is bent, or angled, at some point along the lengththereof, between gripping end 62 and plunger attachment end 68, to atleast partially provide the desired amount of leverage for forcingplunger 30 to move longitudinally through (e.g., out of) receptacle 23of barrel 20. As shown in FIG. 1, first member 60 is angled at centralregion 65 so that gripping end 62 thereof extends away from secondmember 50. Although FIG. 1 depicts gripping end 62 and plungerattachment end 68 as being oriented at an angle of about 90° relative toone another, other angles and bend locations are also within the scopeof the present invention.

Still referring to FIG. 1, second member 50 of handle 40 is an elongatemember that is configured to be held by a subject's palm or thumb.Second member 50 includes a gripping end 52 and plunger attachment end58, as well as a central region 55 located between gripping end 52 andplunger attachment end 58.

Gripping end 52 of first member 50 may include a thumb loop 53 throughwhich the thumb of a user of syringe 10 may be inserted.

Central region 55 of second member 50 includes a pivotal connectionelement 56 that corresponds to pivotal connection element 66 of firstmember 60. Pivotal connection element 56 may comprise an aperture formedthrough central region 55 and configured to receive hinge element 70.Upon properly orienting first member 60 and second member 50 relative toone another in an assembled relationship thereof and aligning theaperture of first member 60 with the aperture of second member 50, hingeelement 70 may be inserted through the apertures to pivotally connectfirst and second members 60 and 50 to one another. Hinge element 70 mayinclude an enlarged head 71 at each end thereof to maintain theassembled, pivotal relationship of first member 60 and second member 50.

Alternatively, as depicted in FIG. 4, a variation of pivotal connectionelement 56′ may comprise an arcuate slot 57′, along the length of whichpivotal connection element 66 may move as first and second members 60and 50 are moved toward or apart from one another.

As another alternative, shown in FIG. 5, a handle 40″ of a syringeaccording to the present invention includes another embodiment ofconnection element 66″ on central region 65″ of first member 60″ andanother, corresponding embodiment of pivotal connection element 56″ oncentral region 55″ of second member 50″. Connection element 66″, whichprotrudes from central region 65″ and is fixed in relation thereto,includes a cylindrical section 66 a″, a series of adjacent teeth 66 b″protruding from at least a portion of the curved surface of cylindricalsection 66 a″, and an enlarged retention head 66 c″ adjacent cylindricalsection 66 a″, opposite from the remainder of first member 60″. Thedistance that cylindrical section 66 a″ protrudes from central region65″ of first member 60″ may be slightly larger than the thickness ofsecond member 50″.

The corresponding pivotal connection element 56″ of second member 50″comprises an elongated slot 56 a″ with a series of adjacent teeth 56 b″protruding from at least a portion of an edge along the length of slot56 a″. Teeth 56 b″ are configured and positioned complementarily toteeth 66 b″ of connection element 66″ such that teeth 56 b″ and teeth 66b″ cooperate by mutually engaging each other upon rotation ofcylindrical section 66 a″ relative to slot 56 a″. The width of slot 56a″ may be slightly larger than the diameter of cylindrical section 66 a″of pivotal connection element 66″ so as to substantially preventside-to-side movement of pivotal connection element 66″ relative topivotal connection element 56″. Consequently, the relative movement ofpivotal connection elements 56″ and 66″ with respect to one another issubstantially confined on the direction in which pivotal connectionelement 56″ extends, which, as illustrated, is along the length ofsecond handle 50″. Thus, when first and second handle members 60″ and50″ are forced toward one another, pivotal connection element 66″rotates relative to pivotal connection element 56″ and moves downwardthrough slot 56 a″ of pivotal connection element 56″. Conversely, whenfirst and second handle members 60″ and 50″ are forced apart from oneanother, pivotal connection element 66″ rotates and moves in theopposite direction relative to pivotal connection element 56″.

Referring again to FIG. 1, handle 40 may additionally include aresilient element (e.g., a spring) may be associated with first andsecond members 60 and 50 (e.g., at or near hinge element 70) in such away as to force first and second members 60 and 50 apart from oneanother when they are not being held together.

When first and second members 60 and 50, or variations thereof, havebeen properly assembled with one another, an adult user may be able toproperly position their fingers on gripping end 62 and their thumb orpalm against gripping end 52 while gripping ends 62 and 52 are spaced amaximum distance apart from one another with head 34 of plunger 30located at distal end 21 d of barrel 20.

Plunger attachment end 58 includes (e.g., terminates at) a plungerconnection element 59 that facilitates the pivotal connection of firstmember 50 to the corresponding handle connection element 38 of plunger30. Plunger connection element 59 may comprise an aperture that isconfigured to receive hinge element 70. First member 50 and plunger 30are pivotally connected to one another by positioning plunger attachmentend 58 against the appropriate location of plunger 30 with plungerconnection element 59 and aperture (not shown) of handle connectionelement 38 in alignment. A single hinge element 70 is then insertedthrough both plunger connection element 59 and the aperture of handleconnection element 38. Hinge element 70 may include an enlarged head 71at each end thereof to maintain the assembled, pivotal relationship ofplunger 30 and first member 50. Of course, other known types of pivotalconnection arrangements between plunger 30 and first member 50 and theircorresponding elements are also within the scope of the presentinvention.

Second member 50 of handle 40 may be bent, or angled, to increase theleverage provided by first member 60 and the scissor-like arrangement offirst member 60 and second member 50. As illustrated, second member 50is bent at central region 55 thereof so that gripping end 52 of secondmember 50 extends away from first member 60. This configuration andarrangement provides further leverage, or mechanical advantage, whendrawing plunger 30 proximally (i.e., out of) barrel 20.

Of course one or both of first member 60 and second member 50 mayinclude reinforcement ribs 72 or other reinforcement structures along atleast a portion of the length thereof. As depicted, reinforcement ribs72 are positioned along the edges of first member 60 and second member50. Reinforcement ribs 72 may be positioned to prevent side-to-sidebending of first member 60 or second member 50 during use of handle 40to move plunger 30 relative to barrel 20.

FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate variations of syringe 10 (FIG. 1), in whichfirst member 60 and second member 50 of handle 40 are pivotallyconnected to one another, but at least one connection point between anend of a member 60, 50 of handle 40 and barrel 20 or plunger 30 does notpivot. In FIG. 6A, a connection point 61 between an end of member 60 andbarrel 20 does not pivot. In FIG. 6B, a connection point 51 between anend of member 50 and plunger 30 does not pivot. While connection points61 and 51 do not pivot, the ends of members 60 and 50 may still benonrigidly (e.g., flexibly) connected with barrel 20 and plunger 30,respectively (e.g., by way of a flexible connecting material, anintegral region of reduced thickness, etc.). Alternatively, at least oneconnection point 61, 51 may be substantially rigid. Although FIGS. 6Aand 6B illustrate only a single non-pivoting connection point 61, 51, asyringe may include two non-pivoting connection points 61, 51.

Turning to FIG. 7, another embodiment of a syringe 110 according to thepresent invention is illustrated. Syringe 110 includes a scissor-griphandle 40, a barrel retaining member 120 pivotally secured to a firstmember 60 of handle 40, and a plunger biasing member 130 pivotallysecured to a second member 50 of handle 40.

Barrel retaining member 120 is configured to engage and retain at leasta portion of the barrel 220 of a syringe 200. The depicted, exemplaryembodiment of barrel retaining member 120 includes a flexible, elongatemember 121 with a receptacle 124 at one end 122 thereof. Receptacle 124is configured to receive the other end 123 of elongate member 121, aswell as to facilitate the movement of a received portion of elongatemember 121 therethrough. When receiving end 123 of elongate member 121has been inserted into or through receptacle 124, barrel retainingmember 120 takes on an annular configuration, forming a barrelreceptacle 125 that may receive a portion of barrel 220 of syringe 200.As elongate member 121 moves through receptacle 124, the size of barrelreceptacle 125 changes. The position of a portion of elongate member 121extending through receptacle 124 may be maintained by way of a sizeadjustment member 126 (e.g., a screw, a spring-biased pin, etc.) thatprotrudes into receptacle 124 to engage the portion of elongate member121 therein. Elongate member 121 may also include retention recesses 127(e.g., grooves, slots, etc.) that are oriented along the length ofelongate member 121 and that are configured to receive an interior endof size adjustment member 126 so as to further maintain the position ofelongate member 121 relative to receptacle 124 and, thus, the size ofbarrel receptacle 125.

Barrel retaining member 120 also includes a handle connection element128 which extends from elongate member 121 and includes an aperture 129therethrough. Aperture 129 is sized and configured to receive a hingeelement 70 and, thus, to facilitate connection of a member of handle 40to barrel retaining member 120.

Of course, other embodiments of barrel retaining members, which may beconfigured to receive a variety of different sizes of syringes or singlesyringe sizes, are also within the scope of the present invention.

With continued reference to FIG. 7, an exemplary embodiment of plungerbiasing member 130 is configured to receive, retain, and apply force toa proximal end 231 p of a plunger 230 of syringe 200. Accordingly, theillustrated plunger biasing retaining member 130 includes a plungerreceiving portion 131 that is configured to receive and apply pressureto proximal end 231 p of plunger 230. As illustrated, plunger receivingportion 131 includes a receptacle 132 that is configured to receive atleast a portion of the disk-shaped proximal end 231 p of aconventionally configured syringe plunger 230. In addition, plungerbiasing retaining member 130 includes a slot 134 that is continuous withreceptacle 132 and that is positioned and sized to receive a portion ofat least one of the support ribs 234 of a conventionally configuredsyringe plunger 230. As depicted, proximal end 231 p is substantiallycompletely received within receptacle 132. Accordingly, slot 134 mayinclude a narrow bottom section that receives a single, verticallyoriented support rib 234 and a wider top section that receives opposed,horizontally oriented support ribs 234.

A handle connection element 138 is positioned adjacent to (beneath)plunger receiving portion 131 and includes an aperture 139 that isconfigured to receive a portion of a hinge element 70 and to pivotallyconnect plunger biasing member 130 to first member 50 of handle 40.

Handle 40 of syringe 110 may be configured as described previouslyherein.

While the various elements of a syringe according to the presentinvention (e.g., syringe 10) may be manufactured from any suitablematerial or materials, in some embodiments, each of the elements of thesyringe may be formed by injection molding processes so as to afford lowmanufacturing cost and, consequently, to facilitate single-use, ordisposability, of the syringe. For the more rigid elements, which, insyringe 10 (FIG. 1) include substantially all of the elements thereofwith the exception of head 34 of plunger 30, polycarbonates, such asLEXAN®, manufactured by General Electric, or MAKROLON®, manufactured byMiles Chemicals, may be used. Of course, other medical grade plasticshaving properties (strength, rigidity, structural integrity, ability tobe adequately sterilized while maintaining other desired properties,etc.) that are suitable for the desired functions of the variouselements of a syringe may be used to form those elements. Alternatively,suitable metals, such as stainless steel, which have the desiredproperties may be used to form one or more of the elements of a syringethat incorporates teachings of the present invention. Theseconfigurations are not, however, requirements, nor are the materials ormethod of fabrication critical to any inventive aspect disclosed herein.

Turning now to FIGS. 8A and 8B, an example of the use of an aspirationapparatus incorporating teachings of the present invention isillustrated.

FIG. 8A illustrates an aspiration apparatus 10 in an initial position,in which a plunger 30 of a syringe is fully or almost fully disposedwithin receptacle 23 of barrel 20 and gripping ends 52 and 62 of handles50 and 60 are positioned part from one another.

As a user U squeezes gripping ends 52 and 62 of handles 50 and 60together, as shown in FIG. 8B, plunger 30 is drawn distally throughreceptacle 23 of barrel 20, creating a vacuum therein that, in turn,draws fluid 300, tissues, or cells through either lumen 26 of syringetip 25 (FIGS. 1 and 2) or lumen 82 of aspiration port 80 (FIG. 3) andinto receptacle 23.

Fluid 300 may then be removed from receptacle 23 of barrel 20 by movinggripping ends 52 and 62 of handles 50 and 60 apart from one another.

Returning reference to FIG. 1, handle 40 provides sufficient leveragethat the force applied by a single hand of a user will be translatedinto an adequate amount of force upon plunger 30 and within receptacle23 to force even relatively high viscosity fluids into receptacle 23.Moreover, the configurations of members 50 and 60 of handle 40facilitate gripping thereof with a single hand, the fine motor skills ofwhich can be used in such a way as to precisely control the amount offluid being introduced into or discharged from receptacle 23 of syringebarrel 20.

Aspiration apparatus incorporating teachings of the present inventionmay be used in a variety of different procedures, including, withoutlimitation, obtaining samples of bodily fluids (e.g., blood, bloodclots, etc.) and cells or tissues (e.g., with a biopsy needle or otherbiopsy instrument).

Although the foregoing description contains many specifics, these shouldnot be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention, butmerely as providing illustrations of some exemplary embodiments.Similarly, other embodiments of the invention may be devised which donot depart from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Featuresfrom different embodiments may be employed in combination. The scope ofthe invention is, therefore, indicated and limited only by the appendedclaims and their legal equivalents, rather than by the foregoingdescription. All additions, deletions, and modifications to theinvention, as disclosed herein, which fall within the meaning and scopeof the claims are to be embraced thereby.

1. A method for aspirating a sample, comprising: forcing proximalgripping ends of first and second handle members located on one side ofa hinge toward one another to force distal connection ends of the firstand second handle members on an opposite side of the hinge apart fromone another, a distal connection end of the first handle member pivotingrelative to a barrel of a syringe and supporting the barrel of thesyringe as the distal connection end of the second handle member isforced away from the distal connection end of the first handle memberand draws a plunger of the syringe proximally out of the barrel.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: forming a vacuum within thebarrel of the syringe as the plunger of the syringe is drawn proximallyout of the barrel.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the vacuum withinthe barrel draws a sample into the barrel.
 4. The method of claim 3,further comprising: removing the sample from the barrel of the syringe.5. The method of claim 4, wherein removing the sample comprises forcingthe proximal gripping ends of the first and second handle members apartfrom one another to force the distal connection ends of the first andsecond handle members toward one another to force the plunger distallyinto the barrel of the syringe and to expel the sample from the syringe.6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: securing a sampling deviceto a distal end of the barrel of the syringe.
 7. The method of claim 6,wherein securing the sampling device comprises securing at least one ofa needle and a catheter to the distal end of the barrel of the syringe.8. The method of claim 6, further comprising: forming a vacuum withinthe barrel of the syringe and within the sampling device as the plungerof the syringe is drawn proximally out of the barrel.
 9. The method ofclaim 8, wherein the vacuum draws a sample through the sampling deviceand into the barrel of the syringe.
 10. The method of claim 9, furthercomprising: removing the sampling device from the distal end of thebarrel of the syringe.
 11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:removing the sample from the barrel of the syringe.
 12. A method foraspirating a sample, comprising: introducing a withdrawal element intocommunication with a desired location of a subject's body; coupling thewithdrawal element to a barrel of an aspiration apparatus incommunication with the withdrawal element; and generating a vacuumwithin the barrel by pivoting gripping portions of members of a handleof the aspiration apparatus together to move connection portions ofmembers of the handles apart, causing a plunger of the syringe, which ispivotally connected to a connection portion of one member of the handle,to move proximally through the barrel, which is connected to aconnection portion of another member of the handle.
 13. The method ofclaim 12, wherein: introducing the withdrawal element comprisesintroducing a catheter into communication with a desired location of asubject's body; and coupling the withdrawal element comprises couplingthe catheter to the barrel of the aspiration apparatus.
 14. The methodof claim 12, wherein coupling is effected after introducing thewithdrawal element into communication with the desired location of thesubject's body.
 15. The method of claim 12, wherein generating thevacuum comprises drawing a sample into the syringe.
 16. The method ofclaim 15, further comprising: expelling the sample from the syringe bymoving the portions of the members of the handle away from one anotherto move the plunger distally through the barrel.
 17. A method foraspirating a sample, comprising: introducing a withdrawal element intocommunication with a desired location of a subject's body; establishingflow communication between the withdrawal element and a barrel of anaspiration apparatus in communication with the withdrawal element; andgenerating a vacuum within the barrel by pivoting gripping portions ofmembers of a handle of the aspiration apparatus together to moveconnection portions of members of the handles apart, causing a plungerof the syringe, which is pivotally connected to a connection portion ofone member of the handle, to move proximally through the barrel, whichis connected to a connection portion of another member of the handle.18. The method of claim 17, wherein: introducing the withdrawal elementcomprises introducing a catheter into communication with a desiredlocation of a subject's body; and establishing flow communicationcomprises establishing flow communication between the catheter and thebarrel of the aspiration apparatus.
 19. The method of claim 17, wherein,while pivoting gripping portions of the members of the handle of theaspiration apparatus together, a connection portion of a first member ofthe handle pivots relative to and supports the barrel as a connectionportion of the second member draws the plunger out of the barrel. 20.The method of claim 17, wherein generating the vacuum comprises drawinga sample into the syringe.
 21. The method of claim 20, furthercomprising: expelling the sample from the syringe by moving the portionsof the members of the handle away from one another to move the plungerdistally through the barrel.